1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of controlling the setting members for the time of application and the control travel of tools and/or guides arranged along a conveying path of a fish in a fish processing machine, wherein a quantity or value to be measured, e.g. a number of travel units corresponding to the fish size is determined by measurement of each fish at a measuring location situated in the fish passage, the application value of each setting member is derived from a fish value proportional to the measured quantity of the fish to be processed and a position value corresponding to the spacing of the tool to be actuated from the measuring location, and the deflection value which is proportional to the measured quantity is stored before its utilisation for the control of the setting member.
2. Prior Art
Already known through DE-PS No. 943 612 is a filleting machine for fish with tail clamps moved along a conveying path and conveying the fish, a feeler arranged at the start of the conveying path and determining the rump length of the fish as a quantity to be measured or measurement magnitude, rotatably drivable tooth couplings for the storage of the measurement magnitude of a fish value required for a tool and control cams drivable by the tooth couplings for the respective travels of the setting members actuating the tools or guides. This filleting machine has the disadvantages that a substantial increase in its operating rhythm during the processing of smaller fish is not possible in consequence of the rhythm given by the tail clamps and that its tooth couplings must always return into their starting position. Beyond that, a change of the control travels may only be attained through an alteration or an exchange of the control cams.
Already known through DE-PS No. 1 063 784 is a method of controlling the tools and guides of a fish processing machine, in which the control processes according to their application time values and their displacement values take place separately, because each fish, by a part of its body, for example its preceding end, determines the application time value of a tool or a guide, while the displacement values for all tools and guides are derived through the measurement of a value characterising the fish size. Although it is possible thereby to provide a fish processing machine with a substantially higher operating cycle and without a rigid loading rhythm, a change of the characteristics of the control paths is only possible through alteration or exchange of the control cams.
Furthermore known through DD-PS No. 87 139 is an apparatus for the control of the tools and guides of fish processing machines, in which a series of feeler elements for the determination of the size of the fish is arranged at the start of a conveying path and an additional feeler element, a pulse-shaping stage and a storage device are allocated to each tool or each guide and controlled by a logic circuit associated with the feeler elements at the start of the travel. Although this equipment makes it possible to control the application time values for a plurality of tools and guides sequentially arranged through displacement of the measurement magnitude between the storage devices, it does, however, require an appreciable number of feeler elements and storage devices and cannot influence each tool or each guide in accordance with a specific displacement value.
Also known through DE-OS No. 27 47 386 is an automatic fish processing machine which has a measuring equipment for the determination of a measurement value, a storage device for the storing of data in several groups as well as a computer for the control of process equipment of the fish processing machine. This machine operates with thrust saddles arranged at fixed spacings one from another for the reception of the fish in their abdominal cavities, in dependence on the respective position of which the application time values for each tool are controlled which entails similar disadvantages to those described in connection with DE-PS No. 943 612.